UIC Senior Thesis

Memoir is a year-long thesis project that focuses on stories, self reflection, and understanding that every individual life is a beautiful story of it's own.

1. Stories have been our main source of sharing knowledge throughout history. Storytelling is an artform, a form of expression and communication. It is entertainment, a way of teaching, a tool for cultural preservation, and it is utilized to instill moral value.

The earliest goal of the storyteller was to “open eyes” to the world around us.

2. Self reflection is a meditative, serious practice of thought towards one’s character, actions, and motives. Self reflection has the power to generate positive strength and development towards a beautiful story of your own.

MEMOIR

Memoir utilizes the power of storytelling by placing individuals within their own narratives, creating more time spent within self-reflection.

The first object of Memoir is not an object designed by myself, but it is whichever book the individual chooses to read. This book holds a story, therefore it shares knowledge. It acts as a sort of mirror when the individual recognizes themselves or their lives within the presented story.

When moments of familiarity occur within your book, the second object comes into play providing points. The points are placed within recognized passages, words, or phrases. They prolong such moments, encouraging the idea of not just recognizing a familiar point within the story, but making note of it both physically and mentally.

As points are used the color pallet subtly shifts, allowing each individual point some connection to the specific point in time. This captures an additional dimension of the moment and allows for more complete future reflection.

Memoir does not just live within your books. Your memoir is unfolding at every point of every day, and within these days, the mirror reflects the character of the story, taking the individual outside of their book and prompting important questions for the practice of self reflection....What is my character? Who do I want my character to be?

The looking glass continues this application of thought outside of the book. It looks more closely at your surroundings, prompting questions of what makes up your surroundings? How do they affect you? How have you influenced them? These are questions that involve elements outside of one’s self, but still ultimately reflect upon the individual.